14 Facts About Taulantii

The Taulantii are among the oldest attested Illyrian peoples, who established a powerful kingdom in southern Illyria.

The Taulantii were firstly recorded by ancient Greek writer Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BC.

The Taulantii are often reported in the works of ancient writers describing the numerous wars they waged against the Macedonians, the Epirotes, and the ancient Greek colonies on the Illyrian coast.

Taulantii lived on the southeastern Adriatic coast of southern Illyria, dominating at various times much of the plain between the rivers Drin and Aous.

In earlier times the Taulantii inhabited the northern part of the Drin river; later they lived within and around the sites of Epidamnos-Dyrrhachion and Apollonia.

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The southern border of the Taulantii was likely the Seman river, while the northern border was marked by the Mat river.

Taulantii are one of the most anciently known Illyrian group of tribes.

In that period the Taulantii expanded southwards and controlled the plain of Mallakaster reaching as far as the mouth of the Aous.

The name of the specific Illyrian tribe or group of tribes that attacked Macedonia is not reported in Justin's account, but it has been suggested that they would have been either the Enchelei, whose realm was centered at that time in the area of Lake Lychnidus, or the Taulantii, who were based farther west, in the coastal area within and around Epidamnos and Apollonia.

Taulantii continued to play an important role in Illyrian history between the 5th and 4th–3rd centuries BC, and in particular in the history of Epidamnos-Dyrrhachion, not only as its neighbors but as part of its population.

Unlike the Illyrians of Cleitus, king Glaukias and the Taulantii had not accepted Macedonian rule, and remained independent.

Taulantii were involved in the struggle between Macedonia and Epirus when the Illyrian king Glaukias offered asylum to the infant Pyrrhus after his father Aeacides was expelled from his kingdom among the Molossians.

Since the Taulantii were located in the hinterland of Dyrrhachium and Apollonia, Octavian's army was involved in the regional dominions that belonged to Mark Antony.

Abri, a northern subgroup of the Taulantii, were known to the ancient Greek writers for their technique of preparing mead from honey.